Aya Ueto(16), the actress who played the girl of sexual identity disorder and attracted attention in the popular drama series "the third-year student in Class B Kinpachi teacher" of TBS, first challenges a voice actor by Disney animation "Peter Pan 2 the secret of a Never land" (supervisor Robin Bud). For the sequel of an everlasting masterpiece "Peter Pan", for the first time in [ a half-century ] revives. Ueto, an adult Disney fan, told enthusiasm to "I am not only a child and want to see with a family." December 21 public presentation.
It plays an active part in a drama, CM, photogravure, etc., and Ueto under popular rise challenges a new domain with the fresh smile. It is seeming to raise the tone of voice, saying "It is as favorite as the word "dream" will occur if it is called Disney", and to carry out the first challenge at expectation to "this movie is the same as a previous work, and is heart-warming contents, and a spectator is excited to this wonderful adventure." When a performance is decided, it is like [ of it being glad and having jumped for joy involuntarily ].
"Peter Pan 2 --" is the work which commemorated the birth centennial of the original "a small white bird" of a previous work, and was manufactured. In the United States, it was opened to the public on February 15, and subject, such as carrying out rank in to the best 10 for five consecutive weeks, was called.
It is daughter Jane of Wendy who experienced the dreamlike adventure with Peter Pan by the previous work that Ueto challenges a voice actor. The heroine who develops a wonderful adventure on the Never land which it was mistaken for the mother by the "captain hook" who appeared suddenly in London under World War II, and was kidnaped, and the mother visited once. It is the important role that the fate of a Never land is grasped by her hand.
The talent of the former many has appeared on the Disney movie as a voice actor. It is the big hit to which Hidehiko Ishizuka (40) of HONJAMAKA, and Yuji Tanaka (37) of a burst-of-laughter problem(Bakusyoh Mondai) appear, and Opened "Monsters ink" will break through Box office revenue of 9 billion yen especially in March. The hit is expected and "Peter Pan 2" who is the sequel of an everlasting masterpiece is likely to become the cause which expands the width of Kamito's activity as an actress.
<> Aya Ueto 16 years old September 14, 1985 (Showa 60) and born in Tokyo. 97-year Special Jury Prize [ "all 7th Japanese-beauty girl contest" ] award. It is CM, variety, etc. and is in popularity. a 00 year Fuji Television system "tear -- wiping -- " (Namida wo fuite)-- a drama debut present -- TBS drama "-- the world who crosses -- about a demon and"(Wataru seken wa oni bakari) -- under a performance This summer CD solo debut schedule.
Source: Goo
- Street Date: Fall/Winter 2002 (date TBA)
- Episode count: 1st Volume 3 Episodes x 30 minutes
each
- Format: Region 1 DVD
- Animation Production: A.P.P.P.
- Executive
Producer: Kazufumi Nomura
- Distribution by: Super Techno Arts Inc.
This 13-episode anime is based on the long-running manga by Baoh creator Hirohiko Araki. The series follows 17-year-old Jotaro "JoJo" Kujo and his grandfather Josef Joestar as they battle the immortal vampire Dio, who holds Jotaro's mother prisoner in a nightmare-filled coma. Joining them in this effort are four warriors who, like Jotaro and his grandfather, each posses mystical powers called a "Stand," derived from the names and meanings of certain Tarot cards. These powers are manifested in giant spectral warriors that emerge from the bodies of the group. But Dio has gathered Stand warriors as well, and he possesses a secret and incredibly powerful Stand of his own."
Also, you can see a list of the anime titles Techno Arts has worked on in the "Production History" section of the official site
Top Cow has announced that order numbers for BATTLE OF THE PLANETS #1, which reaches stores the second week of July, have exceeded 150,000. The BATTLE OF THE PLANETS revamp is by Alex Ross, Munier Sharrieff, Wilson Tortosa and Udon Studios. "This was about twice what I had projected for initial sales of the book, so I announced the sales over the loudspeaker of our office when they came in and everyone cheered," Top Cow president Matt Hawkins says. "In this case, it was nice to be wrong." "We're all really excited about the initial orders for BATTLE OF THE PLANETS," says Top Cow editor-in-chief David Wohl. "It's nice to see that the fans and retailers have as much faith in this as Alex, Munier, Wilson, Udon, and all of us at Top Cow have for this book! It's truly been a pleasure to work on and I hope it'll be just as much fun to read!"
Source: Cinescape
Thanks to Daniel for the news item
Source: Natsume Maya
Koge-Donbo to Make an Appearance at the Anime Gamers Retail Store Los Angeles, CA - Koge-Donbo, illustrator of Di Gi Charat and manga artist of Pita-Ten, will be making an appearance at the Anime Gamers retail store on July 7, 2002 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Koge-Donbo designed Di Gi Charat as a mascot four years ago for Gamers, a hobby store chain in Japan. After gaining popularity as an illustrator, Koge-Donbo started a manga (comic) series, Pita-Ten, published by Media Works. Koge-Donbo is also one of the illustrators for the trading card game Aquarian Age, and she is the character concept designer forboth the Snow Fairy Sugar and the Panyo-Panyo Di Gi Charat TV animation series. Details of the autograph session can be found at the re-designed Anime Gamers website at http://www.animegamers.com.
Anime Gamers retail store is located at 10811 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064 (http://retail.animegamers.com), on the corner of Westwood Blvd and Pico Blvd in Los Angeles, CA.
We've got a big apology to make. Some of the "remastered" DVD's of Slayers which we just released were found to have certain of the same audio phase problems as the original DVD's. As far as we currently know, two of the four discs in the "remastered" box set still show some of these audio phase problems. Accordingly, we have ceased the trade-in program with The Right Stuf, pending the results of our investigation of what went wrong, and what it will take to fix it. We'll be back to this location on our site with more info as we get it. We're expecting to be able to provide further info by the end of this week.
Sincerely, Richard Goffman VP of Sales and Marketing
The website Anime On DVD issued an editorial on the situation on it's front page, heavily critiquing the move.
Anime News Network took a more neutral stance with a statement, an excerpt can be viewed below:
At first many people thought the credits were simply missing, and now that AnimEigo has explained where to find them there have been mixed feelings amongst KOR fans regarding the decision. One thing remains clear, that AnimEigo continues to try inoventive ways to give fans the best DVDs they can... whether they succeed or not is a matter of opinion.
Some people are wondering if the credits are somehow missing. They aren't! The closing credits are present at the end of each episode. The opening credits has been placed in the credit section of the discs. Volumes 1,4,7 & 10 carry one opening credit sequence, volumes 2, 5, 8, & 11 carry the second, and volumes 3, 6, 9, & 12 hold the 3rd sequence. Sounds bizarre, right? But there is a method in our madness: The opening credits for each episode are pretty much identical, it's the same credits over one of the songs. In fact, the credit sequences were provided to us on their own D2 master tape. During our work on Macross we wanted to give the viewer an option to turn the opening songs off & on. This turned out to be very difficult to program. So to avoid the same difficulties with the KOR discs, and to increase the play back reliability on lower end DVD players we decided not to do that with KOR. By the way, we added couple of subtitle streams to those opening credits. One contains the credits, the other the song lyrics. Or you can watch them totally unsubtitled. We figured this would give you extra flexibility, and would work on more of the weird DVD players you guys tend to use.
Children And To Laughter Were Our Future: Jonathan Ross visits the studio of Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese Walt Disney, a man behind some of the most charming and lovely animations ever made. W/S.
widescreen Stereo
The ranking is part of an annual paper featuring a monthly investigation into favorite talents who have appeared in commercial films for TV, based on responses from 1,500 persons living in the Tokyo metropolitan area. SMAP, which has appeared in commercials for a total of 28 companies, has dominated the category as a group since 1997, and even individually, the members fill out several top 10 spots. In the male talent category, SMAPster Takuya Kimura was ranked No. 1 for the third consecutive year, while, in the female talent category, Rena Tanaka nailed the top spot for the first time. The CM Research Center says that when the economy is depressed, male talents dominate the rankings, while CM queens such as Rie Miyazawa and Kyoko Koizumi, who enjoyed popularity in the days of the bubble economy, rarely appear. According to the center, it may be a little while before we see a heavy concentration of female talents in the commercial rankings.
Source: Natsume Maya
Shogakukan will start sale of the pleasant mail software "the Doraemon mail" with which Doraemon appears from seven days. It is sold as shareware which can be tried before purchase, and also the package version whose standard price is 2,980 yen is sold over the counter. After coming to hand and trying the shareware version by an appendix of a magazine, the download via the Internet, etc., it can use all functions by purchasing a license key for 1,980 yen. In addition, on the page of BIGLOBE SOFTPLAZA, or the library page of a vector, since precedence download of the experience version is started, "the Doraemon mail" can already be tried. Correspondences OS are Windows 98/Me/XP, and need 5.5 or more IE for operation.
"The Doraemon mail" is pleasant mail software with which Doraemon appears. It is the feature that Doraemon navigates transmission and reception of mail by voice and animation, and also illustrations, such as a character which appears in Doraemon, and a secret tool, are used in plenty in various scenes. When transmitting by HTML mail, the picture the "stamp" with which the illustration about Doraemon was drawn and "which does not carry out a bottle" can also be freely stuck on HTML mail.
As it was called "Settei"(Setup), and the "addressing point" and "TENPU"(Appending of a file), various menus refrain from use of a Chinese character as much as possible, are written in hiragana, and also they are expressed by the illustration with which the button for checking the arrival of mail, for example is holding the letter by the perfect circle Doraemon hand. moreover -- non-read mail -- sweet bean pancakes -- the structure known at a glance since a mark sticks It could use also to a child simply, since the intelligible user interface which can be operated intuitively is prepared.
Furthermore, by the users which are using "the Doraemon mail", a stamp can be stuck on mail and stamp exchange can also be carried out. It is possible to stick the original stamp which read the favorite picture besides the stamp in which the illustration about Doraemon was drawn, or drew the illustration personally, and was created. Moreover, a family can be registered into the "Doraemon mail" installed in one personal computer to ten persons as a user, and also with the families which are the users of the same personal computer, even if it does not connect with the Internet, it is possible to exchange mail. Probably, it will also be interesting to begin mail to parent-and-child 1 clue by "the Doraemon mail."
For more info: http://doraemon-mail.com/
Source: Watch Impress
"...RUSH HOUR 1 and 2 director Brett Ratner is talking about what might come next in the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker cop comedy films.
"While talking about the trend to shooting several films in a franchise at once (LORD OF THE RINGS, THE MATRIX, etc) Ratner said, "When I did the first RUSH HOUR, I ended it so the plane was headed for Hong Kong. If it worked, the plane would land in Hong Kong (at the start of the sequel). I would love it if we could make RUSH HOUR 3 and 4 back to back. When you're on a roll, it's easier to keep going instead of starting up again."
"With RED DRAGON nearing completion in the next few months, Ratner's schedule (which includes developing a big screen adventure based on the cartoon SAMURAI JACK) may be open enough to flirt with the idea of two RUSH HOUR sequels at once.
"Ratner also said he wants to have RUSH HOUR 3 in theaters in 2004."
Source: Cinescape
This time Kiyoshi Kurosawa gives us the low-down on his next project, tentatively entitled JELLYFISH ALERT and we take a sneaky look at Takashi Miike's newest blood-splattered odyssey, a remake of Kinji Fukasaku's GRAVEYARD OF HONOUR. Remember, you read it all here first! All this, and we still manage to keep one beady eye fixed on the 70s, with the cult classic THE MAN WHO STOLE THE SUN.
All and more at http://www.midnighteye.com.
SCE held the Playstation Awards 2002 ceremony in Tokyo Japan on June 6th, over 13 game titles have received awards, and Square's Final Fantasy X has received the PlayStation Grand Prix of this year. Below is the full list of awards and winners.
PlayStation Grand Prix Final Fantasy X (PS2, Square)
PlayStation Grand Prix Nominations Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Virtua Fighter 4 Kingdom Hearts
Double Platinum Prize (over 2 million units shipped) Final Fantasy X (PS2, Square)
Platinum Prize (over 1 million units shipped) Everybody's Golf 3 (PS2, Sony) Dragon Quest IV (PS, Enix) Onimusha 2 (PS2, Capcom)
Gold Prize (over 500,000 units shipped) From TV Animation One Piece Grand Battle (PS, Bandai) From TV Animation One Piece Grand Battle 2 (PS, Bandai) World Soccer Winning Eleven 5 (PS2, Konami) World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 (PS2, Konami) Devil May Cry (PS2, Capcom) Shin Sangoku Musou 2 (PS2, Koei) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, Konami) Mobile Suit Gundam Federation Vs Zion (PS2, Bandai) Momotarou Dentei X: Chapter of Kyuushuu Corbicula (PS2, Hudson) Virtua Fighter 4 (PS2, Sega) Sakatsuku 2002: Let's Make the J. League Pro Soccer Club (PS2, Sega) Kingdom Hearts (PS2, Square) Super Robot Taisen Impact (PS2, Banpresto)
And Jagged Team hints that Link from the Zelda games might make an appearance in Soul Calibur 2.
Richard is also offering webs surfers the opportunity of meeting and training with a favorite Hong Kong movie villain, Richard Norton who's battled Sammo in "Twinkle Lucky Stars", as well as Jackie in, "City Hunter" and two of his collaborations with Sammo Hung as director, "Twinkle Lucky Stars", and, "Mr. Nice Guy". For more information click your browser on http://screen-power.com/richardnorton.php.
"It's a great honor to be included in such a prestigious grouping of talented men and women," said Ledford. "This is a tremendous accomplishment not only for myself, but ADV Films as well. This really speaks to how much ADV, and the anime industry in general, has grown since the early days. What was a small field ten years ago has grown into a force to be reckoned with in genre entertainment."
Ledford met Matt Greenfield in Houston in August of 1992, while both were working for businesses that rented and sold anime laserdiscs. The two men were fans of anime; but at the time, the American market for Japanese animation was still in its infancy. Ledford and Greenfield discovered they both had almost identical visions for the potential of anime in the States. Realizing the future of the industry was in licensing titles from Japan and distributing them to American audiences, the two men pooled their respective talents and went into business together. Fifteen days after their first meeting, A.D. Vision was born, and Ledford and Greenfield had started production on the company's first licensed anime title, Devil Hunter Yohko.
Ten years later, the anime industry is no longer a niche genre appealing to a limited audience. Anime has firmly entrenched itself into mainstream popular culture. Images from anime titles pop up in fashion, on television, and in music videos and concert settings. Anime films are routinely released in multiplex movie theaters. Television series such as Dragonball, Medabots, and Pokemon dominate the ratings on cable and broadcast networks.
Along the way, ADV has grown from a two-man operation in Texas into an entertainment powerhouse with offices across the globe. The company's catalog of home video titles has gone from being only anime products like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Robotech, to a wide and eclectic range of properties including the live action science fiction television series' Farscape and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, and the upcoming original production of the popular comic book, Lady Death. ADV has also branched out into releasing theatrical films, like last year's animated adventure, Spriggan, and the stunning live action martial arts film The Princess Blade, which has recently begun playing at film festivals across the country.
The long-awaited continuation of the 9-volume best-selling series, Battle Angel Alita: Last Order updates Alita's continuous struggle to discover her mysterious past and unveils the series' original ending--as the author intended--for the first time in English! Destroyed by the mad scientist Desty Nova, Alita wakes up to find herself in "heaven"--the floating sky-city known as Tiphares, miles above the dystopian Scrapyard. Reborn in a strange place with a new body, Alita must remember her old identity and face the masters of the world--the unseen wardens of the asylum called Tiphares. Known as Gunnm (Gun Dream) in Japan, Battle Angel Alita: Last Order has been running in Japan's monthly manga magazine Ultra Jump since December 2000.
When he was only seventeen, Yukito Kishiro (http://www.yukito.com/) was nominated for Japanese publisher Shogakukan's "Best New Comic Artist" award. Creator of popular series such as Aqua Knight, Ashen Victor and Battle Angel Alita, Kishiro is known for his strong characters, original settings and intricate, lifelike artwork. Born in 1967 in Tokyo, Kishiro spent his childhood in China.
From the creators of SPRIGGAN (STRIKER by Viz Comics) comes a new tale of nano-machines, cybernetic assassins, powerful telekinetic opponents, and a secret organization dedicated to bring forth the next evolution of man. Ryo Takatsuki thought of himself as just an average high school student, until he learned that his arm had been secretly replaced with a powerful nano-machine driven weapon called "ARMS." Designed to be the ultimate integrated weaponry, ARMS is insanely powerful and, in inexperienced hands, can often go out of control. Now a powerful, secret organization is after the only living samples of this technology, and the strangely enhanced assassins who are sent to get them are ready to kill anyone who gets in their way. As a result, Ryo is quickly ripped from his ordinary life into one of mayhem, where he must face those who try to obtain his power by any means possible. In this English-language manga debut issue, high school student Ryo Takatsuki is about to have his world come crashing down. It all starts when a new transfer student threatens to kill Ryo for seemingly no reason at all. The trouble escalates as a group of black-suited thugs show up to harass Ryo, but he manages to escape thanks to his survival training. Do either of these mysterious incidents have to do with his right arm that, since an operation in kindergarten, has been able to heal at a miraculous rate?
This book includes cell art and paintings from the hit anime series currently airing in Japan and soon to be introduced to North American audiences. Showcasing the excellent artwork and beautiful characters of the immensely popular time-traveling horror/action series, Anime Art Gallery: The Art of Inu-Yasha offers fans page after page of full-color designs, plus character profiles, water colors from the manga covers, character profiles, 17 pages of black and white character line and 66 pages of colored manga pages (some of which has never been published in the U.S). The book also contains a discussion between the Japanese voice actors and Inu-Yasha creator, Rumiko Takahashi and interviews with animation director, Masashi Ikeda, character designer, Yoshihito Hishinuma, and art designer, Shigemi Ikeda Black.
Author and artist Rumiko Takahashi, one of the world's most popular and prolific manga creators, has a large, devoted international fan base. With over 100 million copies of her work--Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2-sold worldwide, Takahashi's works have been the basis for four long-running animated series and over eight animated movies.
How to keep up with those up-to-the-minute trend-setting designs and fashions from the fast-moving streets of Neo-Tokyo? Get the stuff straight up with Viz's new "Collector File" postcard-book series, featuring the latest in cutting-edge art and design from Japan. This modestly priced collection showcases a variety of the best new illustrative talent from Japan-with an emphasis on cute, kitschy, and fantasy styles. This sleekly designed book can be given as a gift, or the pages can be torn out and sent as postcards. This postcard book is compiled from various Japanese artists, including Junko Mizuno, author of Cinderalla.
Thanks to the fine folks at Software Sculptors, we have just received and completed a review of the first volume of Revolutionary Girl Utena. You can read the review at: http://www.cybamall.com/dvdvision/utena.html
We also have completed a review of the first volume of Battle of The Planets from Rhino Home Video. The review can be seen here: http://www.cybamall.com/dvdvision/battleplanet.html. We would like to thank Bob Porchia at "Grand Opening" for lending us his copy.
There are also reviews for the first volume of Princess Nine (http://www.cybamall.com/dvdvision/princess.html), and for the live action Japanese film Platonic Sex (http://www.cybamall.com/dvdvision/platonic.html).
(Editors note: it is rumored that similar tunnels and train systems as the ones mentioned in the story above have been in existance for several decades now, bored by various military outfits and agencies and connecting an assortment of bases and sites, known and otherwise secret.)
Official Site (Korean and English): http://www.mymari.com/
More information about this film can also be found here (English):
http://www.wix.co.kr/cinema/movie/mari/default.asp
Last week's issue of the American TV Guide digest magazine mentions a quick review of coming fall shows to USA TV. Among them is a mention stating: "Fox will also have a futuristic space western titled 'Firefly'." Reportedly a commercial advertisement for the show is running on FOX now which shows scenes including a naked girl in fetal position inside a capsule, a gun bearing at least a passing resemblence to a caster rifle (Outlaw Star), and a space ship resembling a type of ship that can be seen in the Outlaw Star anime or manga.
With calm elegance and articulate melodies, Dave Eggar’s sophomore release of instrumental piano music will win new audiences with an attractive blend of introspection and sensitivity. Through emotionally moving performances and evocative arrangements, Angelic Embrace is a soothing journey of graceful piano ballads that is exuberant and breathtakingly beautiful. A Leonard Bernstein scholar at Harvard, Dave’s went on to debut at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and was named the Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 1987. He has won numerous nationwide competitions and his performances have appeared frequently on National Public Radio. In addition to his celebrated work in the classical world, Dave has performed in a wide range of musical styles with acts that include The Who, John Denver, Ornette Coleman, Sinead O’Connor and Bobby McFerrin. He has scored a number of films including Claire Dolan, Henry Hill and Miss Monday. For a limited time, we are offering a special discount for visitors to our website. Retail price: $17.97 Our limited time offer: $12.97 You save: $5 (28%)
New Line Cinema is set to hire Todd Alcott ("Antz") to script the live-action feature version of the popular animated adventure series "Samurai Jack." The big-screen adaptation, to be directed by Brett Ratner of "Rush Hour" fame, will be based on a previously penned treatment from series creator Genndy Tartakovsky. In the Cartoon Network series, Samurai Jack is an ancient Japanese warrior, son of an emperor who was defeated by an evil wizard. Jack trains to get revenge, but the wizard sends him into the future through a time portal. The series revolves around Jack's attempt to get back in time to free his family, battling the wizard's loyalists. "Jack" is being produced by Ratner and his partner, Jay Stern, through their Rat Entertainment banner. New Line production vp Chris Godsick is overseeing for the studio. Best known for writing the 1998 CG-animated DreamWorks film "Antz," Alcott's credits also include the 1999 romancer "Curtain Call" and 2000's "Deadworld." Alcott is repped by CAA, the Radman Co. and attorney Patti Felker.
Source: Holywood Reporter
SAN FRANCISCO - June 10, 2002 - Viz Communications, Inc., the leading U.S. producer of anime and manga has partnered with Shueisha Inc. to launch a new mass-market boys' magazine. The venture was announced today by Mr. Seiji Horibuchi, founder and president of Viz Communications, Inc. and Mr. Noritaka Yamaji, executive director of Shueisha Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
Viz currently produces Japanese animation and comics in English with over 20 monthly titles. The new monthly magazine, to be launched in November 2002, will be patterned after Shueisha's Shonen Jump and will feature the manga from which many of the world's most popular anime properties such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh were derived.
Shueisha, the largest manga publisher in the world, has annual sales in excess of $600 million and a 30% share of the sizeable Japanese manga market. "U.S. kids know all about anime due to exposure on television," says Mr. Yamaji. "They don't know that most of today's most popular anime properties originated as manga in Jump. We are thrilled to be bringing these properties to the U.S. market in their original format, and to be introducing the hottest new properties from Japan." In Japan, Jump currently has a circulation of over 3.4 million per week making it the largest in the boys' segment and also the leader in advertising in its category. Viz plans to achieve circulation levels of over 1 million within the first three years of operation and, like the Japanese edition, is targeting advertising support as well. The partnership will engage the Cartoon Network, Suncoast, the store for movie lovers, and Diamond Comic Distributors as promotional partners to support the publishing venture.
The growing popularity of anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) in the U.S. has led to a distinct and growing market segment of boys 8-16 who identify with the "anime lifestyle." "The magazine will serve to define, reflect, and reinforce this lifestyle, to be the unifying authority on what it means to be cool for these boys," says Mr. Horibuchi. "Further this magazine will be a natural extension of our core business and company vision and we plan to put our hearts, souls, and a multi-million dollar launch budget into making this magazine successful," he added.
With the current high interest in animation and the world of comics, Viz will rely on a unique launch strategy featuring the strongest brands in anime and manga today. Viz' aggressive cross platform business model will include single-copy sales, subscriptions, advertising and other revenue streams. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Viz Communications, Inc. is the leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga) for English-speaking audiences, serving a growing market of dedicated fans of all ages. Founded in 1986, Viz publishes over 20 titles every month including Dragon Ball Z, Ranma ½, Pokemon, and Gundam. Viz also offers an integrated product line of consumer entertainment that includes magazines, comics, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks. Based in San Francisco, Viz is one of the top five comics publishers in the U.S. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shogakukan, one of Japan's three largest publishers. With some of the most innovative products in the industry, Viz has expanded its offerings to its loyal fans through Web sites such as www.animerica-mag.com, www.pulp-mag.com, www.j-pop.com and its corporate site, www.viz.com.
SHUEISHA Inc. was created in Japan in 1925 as a division of the publishing company SHOGAKUKAN devoted to entertainment magazines. In 1926, SHUEISHA separated from SHOGAKUKAN to become an independent company, and in 1949, the publishing company SHUEISHA Inc was established. Since then, SHUEISHA has continued to publish popular magazines one after the other and has become a leading national publisher. "WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP" is the best-known manga magazine for boys in Japan. SHUEISHA publishes 15 other manga magazines in addition to "WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP," and SHUEISHA's manga have captured the hearts of Japan's young. "WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP" in particular is popular not only in Japan, but also overseas. Many of SHUEISHA's manga magazines enjoy widespread readership on other continents, not limited to Asia and Europe. SHUEISHA also publishes a variety of women's fashion magazines for the teenage to adult market. SHUEISHA's publications are not limited to magazines and include trade books such as bestseller novels, dictionaries, art books and children's books, making SHUEISHA one of the most successful Japanese publishers.
Tony Wong's work is familiar to a legion of Kung Fu devotees in the U.S from his Jademan Comics days. All three of his books feature his trademark action-packed, fast-paced storylines as well as breath-taking art. Weapons of the Gods follows the adventures of several Kung Fu masters, each with a different weapon and allegiance, seeking to prevent the destruction of the world by the evil Tiger Soul. The Legendary Couple is the story of a Kung Fu couple, reunited after a long separation to defend the world while they rediscover their love for each other. Mega Dragon and Tiger: Future Kung Fu Action combines the Kung Fu and Science Fiction genres to create wildly imaginative set pieces for some extraordinary battle scenes. Taken together, all three series represent a significant step forward for Kung Fu comics in America.
Source: The TA Group via Natsume Maya
Thanks to Daniel for the news
Source: Geoffrey D. Winn
Source: Anihabara
Frédéric Boilet, the French B.D. author who is a long-time resident of Japan, is announcing an unusual Japanese-French-Korean joint B.D./manga project on "le foot" (soccer/football/whatever). You can read it, and see two versions of the cover, at his website:
French Version
Japanese Version
While an English version does not presently exist, below is a translation of the summary:
Manga Fever (Japan, France, South Korea, U.S.) Appeared 13 May 2002 in Japan, to appear in France the 29th of June from Tonkam.
A special World Cup edition of Error, on the theme of "fever," brings together short stories and illustrations by some of the most celebrated Japanese, French and Korean authors (in alphabetical order): François Boucq, Max Cabanes, Nicolas de Crécy, Takehiko Inoue, Taiyô Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Benoît Peeters, François Schuiten, Jirô Taniguchi, Katsuya Terada, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, etc. There are also present in this issue leading lights of manga who are not yet well known in France, such as Atsushi Kamijô and Reiko Okano, and some of the most innovative talents of the new generation in Japan (D [Di:], Iô Kuroda...) and Korea (Penthon, Yong Soon Young...).
Poking around his site some more, it seems the Japanese version is published by Asukashinsha, the Korean by Sigongsa, and the U.S. version by "Mix Entertainment". A search of Tokyopop's site reveals no info on the project.
Source: Anihabara
Akadot.com presents the world of Akadot Retail, where you will discover a whole new shopping experience for anime and pop Japan goods. At Akadot Retail, we’ve got a variety of domestic and import goods at blowout prices! Check out our endless inventory of rare and hard-to-find Japanese animation laserdiscs! Splurge in our merchandise treasure chest overflowing with trading cards, special edition video sets, and collectibles! Get lost in our library of bargain-priced domestic graphic novels at unbelievable prices.
Don’t forget to check out our great library of imported manga and art books! Take a look at our line of JTB “Japan in Your Pocket” travel books. Great for anyone interested in the land of the rising sun! Are you studying art or graphic design? Turn to our best-selling Japanese graphic design books for new inspiration and ideas. Also, take a peek at our popular “How to Draw Manga” books, the ideal instructional book for professional and aspiring manga artists. Finally, be sure to browse our Comictones selection of pens, screen tones, and other manga drawing supplies!
The grand opening weekend of Akadot Retail is this Friday, June 7, 2002. If you order this weekend (June 7-9), we will give a free “bikkuri” prize with every order. Prizes range from CDs to stationary and more! Quantities are limited, so don’t delay! Visit us today at www.AkadotRetail.com and always remember Akadot Retail – Pop Japan Merchantile for all your anime and pop Japan needs.
NY
TNT (CH. 3)
WMBC (CH.63) "NEWS EXPRESS FCI"
USN (CH.73) "CROSSWALKS"
MNN(CH.67) "A SHOW FOR THE PEOPLE"
TO COME:
MUCH MUSIC TV "RANDOM INTELLIGENCE" (30 min) : AIR DATE/TIME TBA USN (CH.73) "CROSSWALKS" : ON 6/07 FUJI TV "MEZAMASHI TV": AIRDATE POSTPONED
Due to the need to submit upcoming titles to comics and publishing industry sources several months in advance, Viz publicized its plans to publish Ring based on verbal agreements in order to meet solicitation catalog deadlines. Kicking off a massive horror revival in Japan due to the success of both the movie and novel, a movie version of Ring is currently in production for American audiences by DreamWorks SKG. Originally, Viz planned to publish both the novel and graphic novels of the story to coincide with the theatrical release.
Source: Natsume Maya
MANGA VISIONARIES, TOMMY OHTSUKA AND YOSHIHIRO KOMADA CONFIRMED AS GUESTS OF HONOR AT BIG APPLE ANIME FEST 2002
JUNE 6, 2002?New York (NY): The Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF), a weekend long celebration of Anime Manga Culture announced that manga artist, Tommy Ohtsuka, and manga writer, Yoshihiro Komada, the co-founders of Studio Zombie, have been confirmed as guests of honor at BAAF 2002. Ohtsuka and Komada will be appearing at both BAAF 2002 and Anime Expo NY (AXNY) events in Times Square, August 30 ~ September 2, 2002.
As the Red & Black Sponsor of AXNY, its highest-level sponsor category, BAAF, which has been called $B!H(BThe Cannes Film Festival of Anime Manga Culture$B!I(B, will be overseeing a variety of activities during the labor-day weekend festivities, including many Guest of Honor appearances, the BAAF Film Festival, and the BAAF Symposium.
Mr. Tommy Ohtsuka, co-founder of Studio Zombie, had his humble beginnings as a manga artist at Waseda University$B!G(Bs $B!H(BEasy-Man$B!I(B manga club. After honing his talents as a comic artist (and meeting future partner Yoshihiro Komada in the process), Ohtsuka became an office worker. After unexpectedly bumping into his old friend Komada, he quit his job to help found the studio, debuting Shinobu Spirit, which ran in Comic Dragon Magazine in 1997.
Among Otsuka$B!G(Bs many hit series are Saber Marionette, Orphen, and Slayers Special, which has been appearing in Dragon Jr. magazine since 1999. Collaborating with Komada, he has also worked on the manga version of the film Slayers Premium, and together they are working on the new Slayers project, Sui-Ryu-Oh no Kishi. Ohtsuka$B!G(Bs other projects include the Slayers card game and Pah nano ga Goo, a strip in Bandai Visual$B!G(Bs promotional magazine BEAT.
Mr. Yoshihiro Komada, co-founder of Studio Zombie, met his future partner Tommy Ohtsuka at Waseda University$B!G(Bs manga club $B!H(BEasy-Man.$B!I(B But it wasn $B!G(Bt until years later when they bumped into each other on the street that the ball started rolling on the team that would bring the insanely popular Slayers anime to manga pages. Komada quit his desk job and became the team $B!G(Bs full-time writer.
Among Komada$B!G(Bs many works is the manga version of Slayers Premium. Originally a movie, Komada wasn$B!G(Bt satisfied with a simple manga adaptation, and added new twists and features that only appear in the manga version. Lately, he$B!G(Bs been working on a new Slayers series called Sui Ryu-Oh no Kishi, featuring new characters and twists in the expanding Slayers universe!
Square is releasing a 3-disc DVD set that follows the entire Final Fantasy saga from the beginning.
The Final Fantasy Adventure Bible will cover all the games including Final Fantasy XI and will retail for 13,000 yen ($104 USD). Disc one of the set will cover Final Fantasy I, II, II, and XI (Not sure why XI is out or order), Disc two tackles Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI and Disc three will cover Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, and X.
The Final Fantasy Bible will be published by Enterbrain on July 25th in Japan.
Source: Jagged Team
China/HK: 1)Ching Siu Tung will direct the remake of HK cult classic "Naked Killer. The 30 millions budget new version will be starring Maggie Q(Gen-Y Cops), Anya (2002), Daniel Wu and Cheng Pei Pei.
Japan: 1)Hey there, I don't know if anyone has posted this yet. I've been hearing rumors about the DVD release of Takashi Miike's film Ichi the killer. Well now it's been confirmed, the british video company Hong Kong Legends has aquired the rights for eventual video and DVD release. That's good news for anyone who has a region free DVD player......lucky me. I haven't heard anything yet about a region 1 release, but i'll keep my eyes open. I just hope the film escapes the british sensors unscathed. I hope this news is useful, you can call me.....Hemp Knight.
2)Also, an anonymous scooper has sent this interesting tidbit on the upcoming region 1 (North American) DVD of "Battle Royale": Thats right, the japanese epic about schoolchildren destroying each other a la Lord of The Flies is going to have a special edition DVD release soon, with the North American region code....something you may just want to pass onto your readers. It will be coming with a whole bunch of extras like promo behind the scenes pieces, and a little piece on the island it was filmed on. unfortunately, nothing else from this, due to the fact this is more "privilaged info" than anything else.
3)Ok so for some more "confirmed news", the UK DVD company, Tartan, has re-released Battle Royale in a new version which can be played on ANY NTSC dvd player. It has no extras, but it will work on our players here in North America. Only available from amazon.uk so far, it's a bit pricey, but worth it in my opinion. Here's a link to an excellent comparison review on all the different versions of Battle Royale, with some screenshots from this new version: Just Click Here
4)One more tidbit for people living in Toronto - the Royal Cinema is having a rare screening of Takashi Miike's "Dead or Alive" next weekend. If you want to watch this really crazy (yet fun) film on the big screen, click here for more info: http://www3.sympatico.ca/ultra8/ The theatre is also showing Donnie Yen's "Tiger Cage 1" and "Tiger Cage 2" this month so check out the link if you're interested.
Source: Aint It Cool News
"Lupin the Third" cartoon set for TV debut in United States, Canada Tue May 28,12:26 AM ET TOKYO - "Lupin the Third", the campy 1971 Japanese cartoon featuring a French gentleman burglar, is headed for North America.
Japan's TMS Entertainment has agreed to sell the U.S. and Canadian broadcasting rights to the animated TV series to Long Beach, California-based Pioneer Entertainment, TMS spokesman Katsuki Masai said Tuesday. Masai declined to disclose financial details of the 7-year contract. TMS expects to earn about 14 billion yen (dlrs 112 million) from product sales and ticket revenues of a movie, he said. Lupin, supposedly the grandson of Arsene Lupin featured in French writer Maurice Leblanc's 1907 book, is the leader of a band of thieves whose bank robberies and jewelry heists worldwide have made them wanted criminals. They are often thwarted by Lupin's streak of morality and a double-crossing sidekick. TMS has made 228 Lupin episodes since the series debuted in Japan. Although a video movie was released in the United States in 1992, the TV series so far has only been distributed in Europe. A lack of interest among adult audiences and concerns that parents would object to violence in the cartoon held up the North American release, Masai said.
Opening & Closing Night Films -- The Opening Night Film is the North American Premiere of the provocative Philippine Muslim drama New Moon (2001) by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, the story of a Muslim family torn apart by their ideals and beliefs after their son is killed by anti-Muslim vigilantes in war-ravaged Mindanao. The Closing Night Film is the New York Premiere of Digvijay Singh's internationally acclaimed Maya (2001), a coming of age story about a 12-year-old Indian girl whose entry into womanhood involves enduring an ancient and painful deflowering ceremony.
New York Premieres of Asian Blockbusters -- Following the international successes of Chinese, Hong Kong, Korean and Japanese cinema, their local film stars are now pan-Asian celebrities who appear in films produced outside their respective countries. Three examples of this latest trend are: the Korean martial arts epic Musa the Warrior (2001) starring Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and directed by Kim Sung-Su, about Korean warriors exiled in a remote Chinese desert in the early 14th century. Johnnie To's latest action thriller Fulltime Killer (2001), features Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau (Running Out of Time) and Japanese heart throb Takashi Sorimachi as dueling hitmen in love with the same woman. Song Hae-seong's Failan (2001) is a tragic romantic tale about a small time hoodlum, Korean megastar Choi Min-shik (Shiri), and his paper marriage to a peasant Chinese girl, played by HK pop idol Cecilia Cheun. Hailed as the aquatic Full Monty, Shinobu Yaguchi's Waterboys (2001) is the rousing comedy about a losing swim team made up of high school misfits that enlists the help of a dolphin trainer to lead them to the championships.
New York Premieres of Art House Hits -- Ann Hui's (Summer Snow) returns with the marital drama July Rhapsody (2002) starring Hong Kong screen icons Anita Mui (Rouge) and Jacky Cheung (Once Upon a Time in China); playing a school teacher who, upon facing a mid-life crisis, begins an illicit affair with one of his students. Actor Jia Hongshen (Frozen, Suzhou River) plays himself in Zhang Yang's Quitting (2001), which chronicles Jia's true life downward spiral from a promising Chinese movie star in the late 80's to a drug addict on the verge of a mental breakdown. Filipino director Jeffrey Jeturian's Larger Than Life (2001) is the bleak tale of two rape victims who sell their stories to a group of filmmakers, only to have their terrifying ordeal turned into a sexploitation film.
First Time Directors -- World Premiere: Smoke meets Martin Scorsese in Joe Chan's gritty Chinatown drama Not a Day Goes By (2002), a portrait of a young nihilistic bookstore owner haunted by the death of his mother who sets out to right the social ills around him at whatever costs necessary; features Joey Chin (King of New York). New York Premiere: Helen Lee's digitally shot feature The Art of Woo (2001) follows the offbeat love affair between a beautiful con artist and a Native American bohemian, played by Adam Beach (Windtalkers). Bertha Pan's Face (2001), starring Bai Ling (Red Corner) and Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club), is a multi-generational drama about three women coming to terms with their past while discovering their forgotten dreams.
The Classics: Films selected by Martin Scorsese, David Henry Hwang & Jessica Hagedorn -- Cecil B. DeMille's The Cheat (1915) stars Sessue Hayakawa as a vindictive businessman seeking payback on loan to a rich socialite. Henry Koster's Flower Drum Song (1961) is the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical about a young Chinese woman who travels to San Francisco's Chinatown for an arranged marriage. Crimson Kimono (1959) is the intriguing noir by Sam Fuller about two detectives --one Caucasian, the other Japanese-- investigating the murder of a stripper, only to fall in love with their key witness.
More Highlights -- 2002 Student Academy Award winning shorts Grace Lee's Barrier Device and Helen Haeyoung Lee's Sophie, a rare screening of the North Korean film Soul's Protest by Kim Chun-Son (2000), Chia Hui Gao's Blue Fire (2002), Nisha Pahuja's Bollywood Bound (2001), Christine Choy's Academy Award nominated Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1988), Lav Diaz's Batang West Side (2001) and Stanley Kwan's short Too Happy for Words (1992) starring Maggie Cheung.
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